Improvement in writing apparatus for the blind



JAMS R.c0LE. v Improvement in Writing Apparatus for the Blind.'

YNo. 125,024, Y I PatentedrMarch26,1872.

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l IIN UNITED STATEs JAMES R. COLE, OF PADUGAH, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRITING APPARATUS FOR THE BLIND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,024, dated March26, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. COLE, of Paducah, in the county ofMcCracken and State of Kentucky, have made a new and useful Improvementin WVritin g Apparatus for theBlind; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full and exact description ot' the saine, reference being had tothe accompanying sheet of drawings which 4forms a part of thisspecification, and in which- I*1 igure l shows a plan view Fig. 2, alongitudinal sectional elevation 5 Fig. 3, a side view 0f the movableboard or guide; and Fig/1, a crosssection of one of the sides of theapparatus.

The nature of my :invention consists in providing a machine to enablepersons deprived of sight to write and direct letters, and to performall kinds of manuscript work. To this end my machine consists, rst, of ashort upright post to serve as a handrest, and caused to slide easily ina slot or groove across a movable board, which will enable the blind tokeep a straight line; and secondly, of amova-ble board supplied withfour pins, the two front ones running in a straight groove in the sides0f the desk, and the two back running in a curved or saw-toothed groove,which will enable the writer to measure the width of the lines. Thehand-rest may be a short post for the easy embrace of the third andfourth lingers, a rest filling the hollow of the hand, or a ringfittingthe fourthiinger. The hand-rest may also be` omitted, a slot or grooveheilig sufficient for the trained touch of the blind to follow, theboard having a small upright pin in back edge so as to move it. Thestraight groove and its two pins may also be dispensed with.

The following description will enable any one to make and use myinvention.

In the dra-wing, A is the back of the frame. B B, the sides; C, themovable board, with slot 0r groove c, in which the hand-rest D moves.

F is the straight, and G the curved groove; and f and g, pins fittinginto F and G. i t' are small pins to hold in position the paper to bewritten on.

To use my machine the board is slipped out, the paper fastened in by thepins and the board slipped in and up as far as it will go. In inysertingthe board care should be taken that the pins f f should be firstinserted in the lower groove, and the pins g g inserted in the uppergroove last. The hand-rest is then moved over to theleft end of theboard, takenin the hand so as to guide it, and the line written across.The lower edge of the board is then lifted by a slight touch of thelittle finger and the board slipped back the length of one curve. Thisline is then written across in like manner, the board again moved down,and so on to the bottom ot' the paper. When there is a space to be leftat the top of the page, the board may be moved up as far as it will go,and then moved down a sufficient number of places. In directingenvelopes it would be better to write the direction from the bottomupward. The hand-rest, if employed, may be attached to the board by anysuitable device admitting of its sliding easily. The machine may be madeof any size 'to accommodate the size of the paper to be'ased, and of anysuitable material, preferably of hard wood, as oak or walnut.

`Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The frame, with curved grooves G to opperate with movable boardhaving pins to slide in the grooves, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The movable board C with pins f and g,

as set forth.

JAMES R.. COLE. Witnesses:

EUGENE BOATWRIGHT, LEWIS FERRER.

